In Thursday's Big Ten headlines digest, we''ve got the following stories: Jerry Kill won't have a role with the Minnesota athletic department. Ever wonder which Big Ten players ran the fastest 40-yard dashes at the NFL Combine since 1999? Michigan Jim Harbaugh responded to another SEC coach. And here's one idea for streamlining the football recruiting process. Read on.

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and this Big Ten Women’s Basketball season is no exception. With only one week left until the Big Ten tournament, here are my picks for Big Ten Conference awards: Coach of the Year: Ohio State’s – Kevin McGuff Coach McGuff has managed to stay afloat of the Big Ten with only one conference loss to Northwestern. Currently riding a Big Ten best 11-game win streak, the Buckeyes look to be clicking on all cylinders and poised to make a run at the Big Ten tourney crown. Player of the Year: Rachel Banham

Kobe 11 PEs for Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke, and Oregon: pic.twitter.com/hoJfhMeeW0 — Heidi Burgett (@heidiburgett) February 24, 2016 It looks like the Michigan State Spartans will have some new, fresh Nikes to wear this season. Nike’s PR Director, Heidi Burgett, tweeted out a photo of specially designed Kobe 11 PEs for Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke and Oregon. Check out the photo at the top of the post. These are awesome and will likely be a big hit among the players. Unfortunately for fans, Burgett responded to a follower that the shoes will be “player exclusive,” meaning they will not go

With the Golden State Warriors in the midst of a potential record-breaking season as they take aim on the Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 mark of 1995-96, I thought it would be fun to look back on what I think have been the most dominating Big Ten teams since 1990-91 … the last 25 years.

Just two weeks remain in the Big Ten regular season, and I think everyone can all agree that the Big Ten Player of the Year will come down to Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine and Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff. [ MORE: Power Rankings | Player Rankings | Game Rankings | Bracketology | Ready for the week ahead? | Best of week that was | Early look at B1G tourney bracket | Standings | Stats | Scoreboard | Polls ] As they did last week, the two stars top my latest Big Ten Player Rankings. And it’s Valentine sitting on top of the

Matt Van Dyk had one of those moments on Tuesday night that he will never forget. With Michigan State holding onto a commanding 79-62 lead over Ohio State late in Tuesday night’s game, Tom Izzo made a move to empty his bench. That’s when Van Dyk came into the game and threw down a dunk that electrified the Spartans’ bench. The MSU walk-on got a steal and dished the ball to teammate Alvin Ellis, who threw it off the backboard to Van Dyk for the two-handed flush. Check it out at the top of this post. Well done, Mr. Van

Another interesting week, as Indiana, Iowa and Maryland keep their sights set on the Big Ten title. The Hoosiers have a half-game edge over the Hawkeyes and a one game advantage over the Terrapins. [ MORE: Power Rankings | Player Rankings | Game Rankings | Bracketology | Ready for the week ahead? | Best of week that was | Early look at B1G tourney bracket | Standings | Stats | Scoreboard | Polls ] And Ohio State is making a push to get on the NCAA bubble, as the Buckeyes have won four in a row. Here is a ranking

It’s time to take the temperature of the Big Ten’s NCAA hopes with a weekly check of the mock brackets from Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com and Joe Lunardi of ESPN. [ MORE: Power Rankings | Player Rankings | Game Rankings | Bracketology | Ready for the week ahead? | Best of week that was | Early look at B1G tourney bracket | Standings | Stats | Scoreboard | Polls ] The Big Ten continues to look like a seven-bid league, tied for the most in the nation. The ACC and Big 12 also each have seven projected seeds. Michigan slid

Every week, I sit down and assemble my Big Ten Power Rankings, presented by ArcelorMittal. In the past, I’ve based it solely on what I see. Some of which is potential. [ MORE: Power Rankings | Player Rankings | Game Rankings | Bracketology | Ready for the week ahead? | Best of week that was | Early look at B1G tourney bracket | Standings | Stats | Scoreboard | Polls ] With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, potential has to be considered less and less. It is more about who you are at this moment that will